Apprehension and The Night
by Aurora Ai
Summary: Explore the gaang's feelings in the scenes we DIDN'T get to see in the finale. Read through Sokka, Suki, Toph, Zuko, and Katara's intimate thoughts the night before the final battle. Ships: Sukka and Zutara. I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.


Night had descended upon the grounds. One by one the lantern lights of each of the members of the White Lotus' tents were extinguished. The sound of crickets emerging for the night was all that filled the air.

But no one slept. None of the kids at least.

Sokka lay in his sleeping bag next to Suki, who was fast asleep beside him. He gazed up at the royal blue that was the night sky. The warrior looked to the stars as if they would help ease his heightened senses. Since Aang had disappeared he had been hyper-aware of everything around him. The warm air that had felt so good that morning was now slowly suffocating his lungs. He glanced at Suki. She looked so calm in her peaceful slumber. Those full, rosy lips that were slightly parted broke the monotony of her flawless, porcelain skin. What happiness Sokka had once felt relaxing on the beach with her had now been suppressed by his worries. He worried about protecting her. What if he couldn't? What if he went before her? Who would be there to yank her out of harm's way?

Sokka shut his eyes and forced himself to dismiss these thoughts from his mind. He turned over to face Suki's back and placed an arm around her. He leaned in closer to her, his face buried in her soft hair that smelled of fire lilies from bathing in the local rivers. Soon, Sokka gave into the warmth and comfort of Suki's body, shut his eyes, and went to sleep.

Toph, who wasn't too far away from Sokka, felt his vibrations. Her thoughts were less detailed and worrisome, but they were there. She thought of her parents back home, how she had left them. She thought of how Aang was missing, how she had felt Katara wander off into the woods not too long ago. How Sokka had Suki, and how she had no one. A single tear managed to escape from her right eye and make its way down her pale cheek. Toph's skin, tanned after all that time she spent with the gaang under the sun, had returned to its natural pale complexion, because, though the night air was cool, it seemed that all the blood she had had drained out of her cheeks. Nervous as she was about what tomorrow would bring, Toph put her hands behind her head and closed her eyes.

Not a minute had passed when Toph felt a twig snap. There was pressure on the ground about five feet away from her. Someone had stepped on it.

Zuko cautiously looked around the campsite. He was nearly discovered. The prince saw Toph's eyes fly open, yet was surprised she did not stir.

Quietly, he tip-toed across the group of sleeping kids. Once he reached the edge of the forest he straightened back up and walked with less caution. For the past 24 hours he had felt like an emotional wreck. Zuko had felt so many things- anger, hate, frustration and, most of all, fear. He was angry that for so long he had wasted his time trying to capture the Avatar when he should have been helping him. He had fought on the wrong side for so long. He hated Azula, he always had. But now she wasn't the only one. He hated his father, too. The things Zuko heard in the war meeting before the eclipse...

Zuko thought about his newfound family, the ragtag, misplaced bunch of runaways. They had all run away from something. They could all take care of themselves and they had whilst escaping attempts of capture from him and his sister. So why did he worry so much about their safety?

He went through the contents of his mind as he wandered in the woods for the next couple minutes. These woods were familiar. At first, Zuko had thought living there, escaping the patrol of the Fire Nation, was a curse, confined to secrecy and seclusion. But, looking back, he realized they were some of the most stress-free times of his life, not thinking about the outside world- the Fire Nation, the Avatar. And now he had come to find solace in the trees' canopy of leaves and branches.

Being there was painful. Zuko could think of nothing, but his uncle. There was still the matter of asking for his forgiveness in the morning. For now he had just wanted to clear his mind, but, ironically, the woods brought even more memories of his uncle back to him. He was nearing his favorite spot in the forrest, a tall Oak whose trunk was so deep that he spent many nights sleeping in the comfort of its far-reaching roots.

As he neared the tree he noticed a figure. The night was dark and he could not make out the features of the figure, except that their hair was almost camouflaged with the tree bark.

And then he knew.


End file.
